Tamar Braxton

Tamar Estine Braxton (born March 17, 1977) is an American singer, actress, and television personality.

Braxton began her career in 1990 as a founding member of The Braxtons, an R&B singing group formed with her sisters. The Braxtons released their debut album, So Many Ways, as a trio in 1996, and disbanded shortly afterward. In 2000, Braxton was briefly signed with DreamWorks Records and released her debut self-titled album, but was dropped by the label following the album's poor commercial performance. Braxton reunited with her sisters for the WE TV reality series Braxton Family Values (2011–present).

Life and career

1977–99: Early life and career beginnings

Tamar Estine Braxton was born to Michael and Evelyn Braxton in Severn, Maryland on March 17, 1977. The youngest of the Braxtons' six children, Tamar started singing as a toddler. The Braxton children would eventually enter in their church choir, where their father Michael Braxton was a pastor. Sisters Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar Braxton signed their first record deal with Arista Records in 1989. In 1990, they released their first single, "Good Life". "Good Life" was unsuccessful only peaking at No. 79 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. At the time of the single's release, the members' age differences created a problem with marketing. Subsequently, The Braxtons were dropped from Arista Records.

In 1991, during a showcase with L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who were in the process of forming LaFace Records, Toni Braxton, minus her four sisters, was chosen and signed as the label's first female solo artist. At the time, the remaining members were told that LaFace was not looking for another girl group since it had just signed TLC. After Toni's departure from the group, the remaining Braxtons members became backup singers for Toni's first tour, music videos, and promotional appearances. Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar were featured in the music video for Toni Braxton's third single, "Seven Whole Days", from her self-titled debut album.

In 1993, LaFace Records A&R Vice President, Bryant Reid, signed The Braxtons to LaFace. However, the group never released an album or single for the label. When Reid moved on to work for Atlantic Records, he convinced executives at LaFace to allow him to take the group to Atlantic also.
It was reported in Vibe magazine that in 1995, Traci Braxton had left the group to pursue a career as a youth counselor. However, it was not confirmed until a 2011 promotional appearance on The Mo'Nique Show, that Traci was not allowed to sign with Atlantic because of her pregnancy at the time.

In 1996, Tamar, Trina, and Towanda returned with a new album entitled So Many Ways, which peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. At the time of its release, Reid told Billboard Magazine, "I had a vision for them then that was about young sophistication with sex appeal." The trio also performed a remixed version of "So Many Ways" with rapper Jay-Z on September 9, 1996 at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. So Many Ways went on to peak at No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. Braxton and her fellow The Braxtons members served as the opening act for Toni Braxton on the European Leg of her Secrets Tour in 1997. The Braxtons decided to part ways as a group after lead singer Tamar Braxton left to pursue a solo career with DreamWorks Records in 1998.

2000–09: Tamar and label troubles

Later, Tamar would meet up with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. She recorded her solo debut album, Ridiculous, so-named for the many different musical styles on the album. The album spawned two buzz singles ("Let Him Go" and "Just Cuz") in hopes of garnering attention from the public eye; however, when the songs failed to gain impact on urban radio outlets, the album was pushed back and canceled. That same year, Tamar was featured on Sole's, "4 The Love of You." Instead of shelving the album, Dreamworks Records abandoned 3 old tracks, added new ones, and renamed it Tamar. The lead single "Get None" was produced by Jermaine "J.D." Dupri and also featured rap verses from him as well as former Jay-Z protégée Amil. The song also included uncredited background vocals and songwriting by Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Mýa. As soon as the song began to pick up airplay, Tamar announced the album would be released in early 2000, alongside a second single, "If You Don't Wanna Love Me". The album featured production from Missy Elliott, Tim & Bob, and Tricky Stewart, but still peaked at number 127 on the Billboard 200. When the album's second single failed to gain significant radio airplay, her label dropped her from their roster.
In 2001, Tamar's previously unreleased song "Try Me" appeared on the soundtrack album for the film Kingdom Come. Tamar also began to work alongside her sister Toni Braxton in a number of songs and music video cameos, including the video for "He Wasn't Man Enough." She performed, co-wrote and sang background vocals on songs for Toni's albums, The Heat (2000), Snowflakes (2001), More than a Woman (2002), Libra (2005) and Pulse (2010). When her sister launched her Las Vegas revue Toni Braxton: Revealed, Tamar again sang backup until she was replaced by singer Sparkle.

By 2004, Tamar was signed to Tommy Mottola's reactivated Casablanca Records and began work on her second album. A "Grindin'"-influenced single, "I'm Leaving," was released with a guest appearance from Bump J. alongside promotional remixes featuring Sheek Louch, Styles P. and Ali Vegas. Tamar would release another single that same year; however, Casablanca's shifting business landscape interfered with the process of completing Tamar's album. She later left the label without a commercial release to show for her work. In 2008, Braxton married Vincent Herbert. The couple had been dating since 2003. Although she still uses Tamar Braxton professionally, she legally changed her name to Tamar Herbert, citing she wanted to share a last name with her husband and son. Wedding photos of the couple emerged via several magazines and made their way via the television debut of Braxton Family Values.

2010–13: Television debut and Love and War

In 2010, Braxton signed to Universal Records, where she released a single "The Heart In Me" in July of that year which was included on the Adidas 2: The Music compilation. Her momentum with Universal would not rise to a satisfactory level to launch a second album. In January 2010, WE tv confirmed that it had signed Braxton and her mother and sisters for a reality series, Braxton Family Values. The show debuted April 12, 2011. On December 15, 2011, it was confirmed that Braxton and her husband Vincent would star in their own reality series centered on her solo career and their married life. In November 2011, Braxton performed "Love Overboard" at the 2011 Soul Train Awards for Lifetime Achievement recipient Gladys Knight. In September 2012, news broke that Braxton had inked a fresh recording contract with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records founded by Vincent. Later that month, her television show Tamar & Vince premiered on WE tv. The first season features multiple scenes of Tamar recording her second album.

Tamar was the featured model for the "Front Row Couture" collection during the "ELLE/Style360" NYC Fashion Week event. Tamar was co-host on Tameka Cottle's late night talk show Tiny Tonight on VH1. Basketball Wives star Tami Roman became a co-host after Braxton. Later Braxton hosted, The Culturelist, a show on BET's sister channel Centric. Former Destiny's Child member LeToya Luckett became the host after her. Braxton announced she was pregnant with her first child on March 13, 2013, during an interview on Good Morning America promoting the new season of Braxton Family Values. She gave birth to a son, Logan Vincent Herbert, on June 6, 2013.

In March 2013, it was revealed that Braxton had signed to Epic Records ahead of the release of her second album, Love and War. The album's lead single, the title track, was released on December 6, 2012. The song was a commercial success, spending 9 weeks at #1 on the Adult R&B Songs chart. Although the single reached number one on the US iTunes chart, it peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Braxton released "The One" as the second single from Love and War on May 7, 2013; it peaked at number 34 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third single, "All the Way Home," was released August 21, 2013; it peaked at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was followed by the release of Love and War on September 3, 2013. The album was a commercial success in the United States, selling 114,000 copies in its opening week, and debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Outside the US, it debuted at number 34 on the UK R&B Albums Chart. The second season of Tamar & Vince premiered on September 5, 2013. The second season is centered on the preparation and birth of the couple's baby, and her launch of Love and War. Braxton's special Listen Up: Tamar Braxton premiered on Centric in September 2013. Braxton's first Christmas album, Winter Loversland, was released on November 11, 2013; it debuted at number 43 on the Billboard 200 with 8,000 copies sold in its first week. In December 2013, Braxton received three nominations for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards; Best Urban Contemporary Album for Love and War, and Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance for its title track.

2014–15: Calling All Lovers and The Braxtons reunion

On February 25, 2014, the remix of Robin Thicke's single "For the Rest of My Life" which features Braxton, was released as a digital single. Season 3 of Tamar & Vince premiered in October 2014, and it consisted of 10 episodes just like the previous seasons. On October 6, Braxton's new single "Let Me Know" featuring rapper Future peaked at #2 on the BillboardTrending 140 chart, less than an hour after its premiere on Braxton's official SoundCloud account and eventually reached #1 by 12:00 AM October 7. Billboard.com gave the song 4 out of 5 stars in its review of "The Best and Worst Singles of the Week" for the second week of October. At the same time, Braxton, and sisters Toni and Trina guest starred on their sister Traci's music video "Last Call".

On May 27, 2015, the single "If I Don't Have You" was released. The song peaked at number 6 on the US Adult R&B Songs chart. Braxton's new album, Calling All Lovers, is set to be released October 2, 2015. The album peaked at number 2 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. On September 2, 2015, Braxton was revealed as one of the celebrities who will compete on the 21st season of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with reigning champion, Valentin Chmerkovskiy. The single "Catfish" was released on September 10, 2015 along with the album Calling All Lovers available for pre-order on iTunes. On September 18, 2015, the single "Angels & Demons" was released. In October 2015, the group The Braxtons including Toni, Tamar, Traci, Trina and Towanda, will be releasing a new material titled Braxton Family Christmas as five members. The album was released on October 30 and pre-order on October 16.On November 11, Braxton revealed that she would have to withdraw from the competition due to health problems. Braxton and Chmerkovskiy finished in fifth place overall. On November 21, Braxton Family Christmas debuted at number 27 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, number 10 on the US R&B Chart and number 12 on US Top Holiday Albums on November 21, 2015. The album charted at number 4 on the US Heatseekers Albums on December 12, 2015. On December 7, 2015, Braxton received one Grammy nomination for "If I Don't Have You" at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards; Best R&B Performance from her latest album titled Calling All Lovers. In parallel, she had made a cameo on the successful TV series Being Mary Jane.

2016–2018: Bluebird of Happiness and stage play debut

On June 2, 2016, Braxton confirmed that she had been fired from The Real on The Steve Harvey Morning Show. She explained that she did not receive an explanation and was shocked. At the end of the interview, Steve Harvey announced that he had signed Braxton to produce her own talk show and TV series with 112th Street Productions. In April 2017, it was announced that Braxton left Epic Records to sign with Entertainment One for a $1 million deal with the label. On April 27, 2017, Braxton released "My Man" from her fifth album Bluebird of Happiness. The song peaked at number three on the US Adult R&B SongsBillboard. On July 25, 2017, she made a cameo appearance on the television series In the Cut. Bluebird of Happiness was made available on September 29, 2017, through Logan Land Records and Entertainment One, with "Blind" released as its second single. The album reached the top of the Billboard Independent chart On November 6, 2017, Braxton was featured on the Bless1's rapper title "No Choice", from his album Blessing Or Curse.

On March 23, 2018, Tamar and sister Towanda guest starred on their sister Toni's music video "Long as I Live". In 2018 Tamar appears on Hip Hop Squares On March 28, 2018, Braxton was featured on the Todrick Hall title "National Anthem", from his album Forbidden. On October 5, 2018, Braxton co-starring in the stage play "Redemption Of A Dogg" with Snoop Dogg. In Parallel, she was featured on the song "Lions And Tigers And Bears", from the Todrick Hall musical Straight Outta Oz deluxe version. The song, her performance and her hairstyle are acclaimed by critics.

On November 24, 2018, she released the music video The Makings of You, from her latest album Bluebird of Happiness. The same day, she released the music video of "Love It" from her 2015 album Calling All Lovers. On the 26, she released the music video of "Wanna Love You Boy", from her last album Bluebird of Happiness. On the 29, she released the music video of "Pieces", from her 2013 album Love and War.

2019: Celebrity Big Brother

On January 13, 2019, it was confirmed that she would appear as a contestant in the second season of the American reality television series Celebrity Big Brother. The show premiered on CBS on January 21, 2019 and concluded on February 13, 2019. On February 13 she made Big Brother history as she became the second unanimous winner with a vote of 9-0. Braxton's win made history becoming the first African American to ever win a season of Big Brother in the United States. In Big Brother tradition, Tamar appeared on the American television soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, portraying a character named Chef Chambre. She taped her episode on February 20, 2019. The episode aired on Friday, March 29, 2019.

2020: True to the Game, new song, GangLand, and To Catch A Beautician

Braxton starred in the film True To The Game 2 alongside Vivica A. Fox, which premiered on April 10, 2020. In support of the film, she released a new song titled "Crazy Kind of Love", produced by Hitmaka, which was officially released on March 20, 2020. Braxton is also set to star in the upcoming film GangLand, directed by Jean-Claude La Marre.

In April 2020, it was announced that along with celebrity hairstylist Johnny Wright, Braxton would be releasing a reality TV series for Vh1 entitled To Catch A Beautician.

Artistry

Personal life

Braxton is the youngest of her siblings including her sisters Toni, Traci, Towanda, and Trina, as well as her only brother Michael, Jr.

In 2001, Braxton was married to her first husband, music producer Darrell "Delite" Allamby. Allamby was a songwriter and producer who worked with his frequent songwriting partner Lincoln "Link" Browder, as well as Silk, Busta Rhymes and Gerald Levert. The two met while Allamby worked on her 2000 debut album's tracks "Money Can't Buy Me Love" and "Once Again". The couple divorced in 2003 after two years of marriage.

In 2003, Tamar began dating Vincent Herbert, a record executive whom she met through her sister, Toni. The couple married on November 27, 2008. On March 13, 2013, on Good Morning America, she announced they were expecting their first child. Braxton gave birth to a baby boy named Logan Vincent Herbert in 2013. In October 2017, Braxton filed for divorce from Herbert, citing "irreconcilable differences" and seeking joint custody of their son. Their divorce was finalized in July 2019.